Suffolk theatre company excited for a packed Summer post-Covid
They've got lots planned
A theatre company in Suffolk is looking ahead to a busy Summer after two years of Covid chaos.
Matthew Townshend Productions (mtp) has planned a packed Summer schedule which kicks off with a week of celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in Southwold.
Plans involve working with local school children on a Shakespeare festival, with a particular focus on Kings and Queens in the Bard's plays.
Matthew Townsend, owner of mtp, says they'll pick the plays carefully: "We might try and stay away from those Kings and Queens that get murdered or stabbed in the back, or get their heads chopped off!"
This will also be the first time mtp's Summer season, Theatre on the Coast, will take a trip out of Suffolk.
They'll be working in collaboration with Sheringham Little Theatre to bring a revival of the stage musical 'Summer Holiday', complete with a vintage London double decker bus, stopping in Reydon, Great Yarmouth and Sheringham.
Alongside the professional cast, Matthew says they offer the public the chance to gwt involved: "What's brilliant is you can take part in 'Summer Holiday' if you're over 16 and if you're into dance, theatre, music, don't mind the idea of wearing tight jeans or a swing dress then get involved!
"You can come along and actually perform alongside the professional cast.
"It's great to the arts on somewhere where we can all sit and watch it and go: 'that was great'... but to actually get to be a part of it yourself is so exciting!"
The plans come thanks to the company securing a significant Arts Council England grant following Covid.
More than £1.2billion has already been awarded nationwide by Arts Council England from the Culture Recovery Fund, to support around 5,000 organisations and sites across the country.
The Arts Council funding followed a crowd funding campaign launched by the company which saw local supporters raise over £8,000.
Matthew says the support was far greater than he ever expected: "We were just blown away because within three weeks we'd not only met the target that we set ourselves, we got a third more than the money that we'd asked for.
"It could not have been more humbling to think that people really wanted to help and wanted this to keep going so much."
Now, he's just looking forward to getting in front of audiences again: "I am really excited about what we’re offering our audiences this summer.
“It is going to be bigger, better and longer than ever before."